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Home > Guides > Herbs > Astragalus |
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How to Grow Astragalus | Guide to Growing Astragalus |
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Overview |
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Native to China and Mongolia, Astragalus is revered in Chinese medicine for its reputation as an immune strengthening tonic. It is said to augment the body’s natural reserves and flow of energy (qi), potentially finding success with a number of deleterious conditions from slow metabolism to general debilitation. Astragalus is rapidly gaining popularity in the West, and is often included in blends with other medicinals to promote recovery in times of stress or illness. |
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Partial shade to full sun |
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Growing Guide
GROWING NOTES
Astragalus is a herbaceous perennial that reaches a height of up to 4 feet, and will produce delicate yellow flowers from midsummer through late fall.
Astragalus prefers partial shade to full sun, and a sandy, well-drained soil. Water moderately.
MAINTAINING
Astragalus seeds require a 21-day cold period of stratification to promote germination, followed by mild scarification with fine-grade sandpaper. You can begin your stratification in mid to late winter, then start your seeds indoors. This should allow adequate time for your young seedlings to become large and stable enough to transplant outdoors following the first frost in early spring. Before sowing seeds, soak in water for an hour to soften and tamp lightly in to the soil, or cover with a thin layer (1/8-1/4" deep). When transplanting, space plants approximately 15" apart.
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Harvesting Guide
HARVESTING
Astragalus grown from seed requires at least two years of growth to produce rootstock of adequate size for medicine making. To collect, use a fork or needle-nose spade to extract taproot from ground.
SAVING SEEDS
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